What’s it like to be a…Personal Trainer?

What does a normal day look like? Is it consistent throughout the year? If you’ve had this position for a while, how have things changed?
The life of a personal trainer changes from day to day depending on the time of the year, the day of the week, and also the responsibilities you have for the day. Summers for personal trainers can often be slow due to the nice weather and summer vacations. During the fall the gym picks up and people are more into being fit for the next few months to come (which makes no sense to me when you’re all covered up in the fall and winter).
On a normal day I will arrive at the gym 15 minutes before my first client. When I arrive, I normally check the client’s file to go over what we did during the last session and plan for the next one. For the most part, you know what you’re going to do with the client but you need to get it down on paper so the workout has a flow to it. The times when your clients schedule their training sessions will determine if you have breaks in your day or if you’re seeing people back to back.
During down time you can workout, run errands, or just prep for the next client.

On some days the trainers are required to work on the floor at the gym, doing a variety of tasks. Things like cleaning the gym and equipment, assisting others, and just hanging out in the gym for help if needed.

Now when I first started out at the gym, my biggest thing was trying to meet new people and introduce myself so that people could get to know me. This was a time for me to show them what I could offer them as a personal trainer. Once I started working with clients, the people that I trained started to refer clients to me and that is how I get most of my business now. As times goes on, you no longer work on the floor as often due the fact that most of your time spend at the gym is with clients.